The Last Time
by scarlet letters in the snow
Summary: It's a secret that can hardly be kept..everyone knows about it...but still..it shouldn't be said aloud.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm gunna start by saying this isn't a happily ever after story..this is angsty.**

**thank you for choosing to read my story..please enjoy..**

* * *

The wind is blowing softly through the trees, scattering multi-colored leaves into the wind. The sun is warm on her pale skin and tiny drops of dew are clinging to her platinum hair. She shifts as a bird lets out a twittering whistle. Her long fingers curl into the grass as she pushes herself off of the ground with closed eyes. She reaches up to rub them softly with her knuckles and she peeks one open, turquoise swirling around a faded pupil. She gives an over exaggerated stretch and yawns quietly, her palm hiding her open mouth. She glances around the small meadow she is lying in, recognizing the flora easily. All is quiet in the forest.

Which means he isn't here.

She frowns at the patch of ground beside her, the grass is dry and pressed down as if someone had laid there all night. She reaches out to slide her palm over the expanse of green, it is still warm even though the sun has barely risen.

He must've just left.

She glances around lazily, her eyes searching for something that belongs to her. She finds her dress draped over a near by stump, her sandals placed neatly at the base of the fallen tree. In the middle of the meadow there is a small pond, the water is crisp and clear and it reflects the light, bending and refracting the rays up onto the trees. The light dances with the waves she makes as she takes some water into her palm to drink, the rest she splashes onto her cheeks. It isn't the first time she has awoken in this place, alone, she knows every inch of this sanctuary like the back of her hand.

_His hands trail up her thighs, over her hips, along her waist line. Her dress is raised over her head, his mouth is hot against the skin of her neck. She looks up at the full moon, which is barely visible because of the wall of trees. She looks back and is pulled into his charcoal eyes, his brunet hair falls from its pony tail to cover them and his cocky smirk sets her heart on fire. His mouth is suddenly invading her own, and she parts her lips to let out a gasp, but he slips his tongue in to twirl it with hers, her knees buckle as she leans into his embrace._

_"Shika?" She breathes as he pulls away, a trail of saliva connects them together. She feels his hands slide down her ribs slowly._

_"Ino." His response is more of a statement than an answer to her untold question; what are we doing here? Why are you doing this? _

_Instead of answering her he simply kneels down, pulling her down to lay in the soft grass. He examines her thoroughly, his eyes greedy and his hands adventurous. _

Ino shakes her head and reaches a trembling hand up to her lips, her eyes clouded and unseeing. She can't deny him, if he summons her, she must comply. Her hand falls from her face and lands on her stomach, she rubs her dress affectionately. Shikamaru is a married man, he is the husband of the sister to the Kazekage, an arranged marriage to strengthen the bonds between the two powerful nations. Wet droplets fall onto her hands, and she briefly wonders if it is starting to rain before she realizes that what she is feeling are her own tears.

She stands up and wiggles her toes in her sandals, her thighs are sore and bruised. Her skin is stiff from the wet kisses he placed on her neck and other various parts of her body. As she traverses through the foliage she picks various berries and flowers, lifting the hem of her dress to act as a pocket. She doesn't mind that her naked thighs are exposed, there's no one to see her lack of underwear.

_"I love you, Ino." He whispers into her hair, she closes her eyes and clutches his shoulders as he penetrates her core again and again and again. Her mind is filled only with those words. He loves her, loves her, only her, and not his wife. _

_"I love you too." She whimpers as he grabs her roughly. He pinches and sucks and touches bruisingly, he is too eager and too excited. Ino doesn't scold him though because he is broken, stressed, insane. Every time they meet out in the forest he tells her it is the last time...that he can't keep lying to Temari, that he can't keep this up. Each time they make love he moans her name and tells her he loves her, that he is going to leave Temari and that they can run away together, but Ino knows better. She knows that it is only pillow talk, that he speaks in the throws of passion..from his heart and not from his mind. There is a small gold wrist watch hanging from her arm that he gave her last time, it's 11:45. She closes her eyes as a sudden shock overwhelms her body and her mind is thrown into oblivion, a warmth spreads inside of her. Her lids are heavy and they won't open, but she can feel his slick body sliding over hers. She smiles against his shoulder as he pulls her closer._

_"This time I'm not lying Ino," He says finally after a long moment. Tears start to form at the edges of her eyes. "This really has to be the last time..we're leaving for Suna tomorrow."_

_Ino nods against his chest and wants to scream as he strokes her back. _

_"I'll write you."_

_She nods again, she knows that he will._

She emerges from the forest, adjusting her clothes so that too much isn't exposed, wild black berries roll around and stain the bottom of her dress. A small bouquet of flowers is tucked between her arm and her body, she glances back at the forest one last time before proceeding home. No more tears fall.

When she arrives she slips into the house, it's still early, almost 7:30 a.m, and no one has awoken yet. She tip toes through the kitchen and places the berries into a bowl after rinsing them, they will make a great addition to breakfast. Ino makes her way down the hall and into her bedroom, slipping into the adjoining bathroom and stripping down, she doesn't bother to lock the door.

In the shower she picks leaves and small twigs from her hair, washing away the grass stains and dirt from her knees and back. Every time she closes her eyes she can see him above her, the loving look in his eyes..the shame that fills them afterward. Her hands slide over her soapy body and stop at her stomach where their child is slowly growing. She can feel the small amount of chakra pulsing under her fingers and she gives a sad smile, before stepping out and shutting off the water.

After drying off and fixing herself up for the day, Ino admires herself in the mirror for a moment before making breakfast. She mixes eggs, milk, and flour into a bowl, then she adds the berries and sugar. Black berry pancakes are her favorite this time of year, she pops one of the left over fruit into her mouth.

"Breakfast!" She calls in a sing song voice, tapping her wooden spoon against the counter.

The sound of four pairs of feet come running around the corner. She smiles at her three boys and her little girl.

"Ichiro, Isamu, Iruma, Shihoko, want some pancakes?" All three of her boys shrug and rub their eyes in unison, her daughter nods excitedly. Ino turns away from them to prepare their plates.

As they all sit down to eat Ino begins to hum, her eyes watery and her smile a bit forced. She looks to her triplet sons who are the spitting image of their father at 7 years old. Their blonde hair sticking up at odd angles. All of their eyes are a deep chestnut brown, their mouths turned down in scowls. Each choose to wear their hair differently; Ichiro with long stiff locks that hang almost into his eyes, Isamu who cut his in a style reminiscent of Naruto(who happens to be his idol), and Iruma who sports his in a high ponytail. Shihoko's long dark hair and deep almond eyes are stunning at the age of 4 &1/2, Ino reaches out to stroke her daughter's arm affectionately.

After breakfast they all get up and walk to school, Ino and Shihoko wave to the boys as they enter the academy.

On the way home Shihoko pulls her hand out of Ino's and runs ahead shouting, "Nii-sama!"

Ino's eyes go wide when she watches her ex-teammate and lover approach her daughter, their daughter. He lifts her into the air and spins her around a few times before setting her down on the ground carefully. His eyes graze over Ino appraisingly before he catches himself, he turns towards his wife and waves her over reluctantly.

The sandy haired kunoichi saunters over with a forced smile, Ino looks off so that she doesn't have to meet those penetrating emerald eyes as they greet each other. She knows. She absolutely knows and there is no way that she doesn't. At the same time Shihoko tugs on Temari's kimono and asks her about her big fan. As they get caught up in conversation Ino watches the sand kunoichi smile. It's genuine and it breaks Ino's heart. Temari is barren and will never have her husband's children...while Ino will have birthed four and is carrying another.

Shikamaru's hand is on her shoulder, and while his wife's attention is divided he leans in to whisper.

"Shiro." He mumbles into her hair, and Ino's eyebrows raise.

The fourth son, Ino nods to him, he is great at picking names. She doesn't know how he can tell...maybe it's just intuition (but he has been right every time). She grabs her daughter's hand and bids them farewell, as they walk away she looks back at her lover one last time, their eyes meet before he leaves the gates.

_I love you.._

_**I'll miss you..**_

_Don't go?_

_** I don't want to.**_**.. **

These things pass between them in an instant. Ino can't walk away fast enough, but she can't bring herself to look back again. She places a hand over her stomach and smiles. Another reminder of him, another piece of shame to lock away in her heart, but she will love this child.. just like the other four she has brought into this world.

* * *

**Tell me what you think:)...idk if this will become something or just be a one shot...it just kind of came to me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The first time, the triplets, and the horrible news.**

**A little bit of a back ground.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Her fingers curl up and scratch the tree bark, her eyes darting off to look at the leaves above. Anything but to look into his smoldering eyes, anything to keep her sanity. She bites the inside of her cheek as he approaches. There is no use in running, he could easily capture her with the minimal ammount of effort. Her toes curl into her sandals and suddenly one of his hands is resting slightly above her head on the tree. She sneaks a glance at him..wrong move. He smirks at her in that way. The way that melts her heart and makes her uncontrollably angry. She bristles as his free hand slides up her arm. He looks at her with concern, the smugness melts from his features.

She doesn't know why she agreed to meet him out here..it's dark and secluded, not that that would be any problem before...well, before all of these strange things started happening. Her lips start to tremble as he moves closer, their bodies are touching now. He looks at her with genuine concern, his eyes are soft and his expression smooth. She doesn't know why that is more alarming than his smirking.

"You alright?" He drawls out lazily, he stifles a yawn as he glances back from where he came. He turns back to her with a small curve of the lips. She unconciously flicks her tongue over her own dry ones.

His smile grows as he leans towards her, their faces are only inches apart now and suddenly his hand slips from her arm to rest in the gap between her limply hanging limb and her body. His thumb rubs against the side of her torso that is exposed from her crop top, Ino shudders at the contact.

"What did you call me out here for in the middle of the night?" She is pretty sure that she already knows the answer to her own question, and she begins to think about the events prior to this moment that have led up to this meeting in the forest.

* * *

_"Meet me in the back." He whispered as he handed her their orders, his reddish-brown hair fell into his deep green eyes and she thought her heart might explode. She twirled her hair around her finger, fluttering her eyelashes over at the waiter as he walked away. They were seated at the stools infront of the bar at the dango shop. She could hear his sigh reverberate through her ears as if he were in her mind, and perhaps he was. He seemed to know just what she was thinking when she stood up._

_"No you don't." Shikamaru practically growled as he seized her arm, Ino's eyes widened as he stood up. She feebly tried to pry his fingers from her wrist. _

_"What're you doing you dumbass? You're hurting me!" She hissed as she pinched the area between his index finger and thumb mercilessly. Shikamaru's hold on her never let up as he pulled her to the back. The red haired waiter looked at the pair in surprize, he backed towards the wall slowly as he was approached._

_"Do you like flirting with girls who are taken?"_

_The waiter, who's name tag read Daichi, shook his head profusely as he tried to stutter out a response. "N-No, Nara-senpai! I-I didn't k-know.."_

_Shikamaru cut him off with a wave of his hand, the waiter immediately began to move without his own consent, he stopped speaking and turned around abruptly, calmly walking back into the shop._

_"She's mine so back off." He added before the red head entered the stall, he said it loud enough that almost everyone inside could've heard him..._

_ They were on a mission, the three of them - InoShikaCho, and it was her turn to take first watch. She was sitting on a rock poking the campfire with a stick when she felt him come up from behind. She hadn't even heard him, but the cold bite of metal at the base of her neck told her he was there before he had spoken._

_"I could've killed you." He drawled out as he sat beside her, she blushed as their legs rubbed together. Shikamaru stuffed his kunai into his pouch before he gave her a sidelong glance. _

_"I knew it was you, stupid!" She stuck her tongue out but she knew she had lied, she had only felt like it was him. She pushed herself away from him and cradled her knees against her chest. He scoffed beside her but didn't say anything else on the matter. _

_As the hours passed Ino's head began to bob up and down with her waning consciousness, and Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he shifted closer._

_"Baka." She mumbled under her breath while cuddling up against his side. Shikamaru only smiled and shook his head._

_The next morning they awoke to Ino leaning against his shoulder, and after a very awkward excuse she scampered away from him with a strange feeling..._

_He had tried to kiss her right in front of everyone in the village. That stupid Kiba!_

_Ino fumed as she stomped towards her house, behind her Shikamaru and Chouji followed. Shikamaru sported a fairly large welp on the side of his face where Akamaru had bitten him to pull the shadow nin from his master, and Chouji was completely unscathed as he had not participated in the scuffle. As she stomped up to her driveway she didn't notice her chubby teammate's silent retreat. She walked straight into her house without turning her back to see who was following, and she plopped onto her bed and screamed into her pillow. _

_She wasn't really too upset that Kiba had tried to kiss her- because hey the guy was a sexy beast- what she was upset about was that he had tried to do it right when she arrived from their mission and Shikamaru had made a scene. She groaned as she turned over and peeled her eye open. Shikamaru was sitting in her desk chair moping like usual, but his face did look like it was starting to bruise._

_"I don't like it." Shikamaru managed through his swollen lips, blood was seeping through a cut on the edge of his mouth. _

_"What?" Ino asks as she sat up. she cocked an eyebrow as he stood and walked to her window, which he opened and climbed out of. He was half way out when he gave her a second glance__._

_"I don't like when other guys touch you."_

_And with that he was gone, Ino stood up and slammed the window down as hard as she could.._

* * *

Ino is brought back to the present whenever she feels his fingertips glide over her stomach, she inhales sharply as his hand slips under her purple top.

"Shika-" She gasps as he pinches her nipple softly. The bindings she uses to keep her breasts secure fall and pool around her ankles uselessly, and she wonders just how did he manage to do that in a matter of seconds.

A shock runs through her body when she becomes fully aware of him, his hands feel like tiny bolts of electricity are dancing between the pads of his fingers and her skin. She gasps again as he grinds his hips against hers. His breath is starting to come out in whisps and puffs, and she begins to notice just how cold it is outside. There is a noticeable fog creeping across the ground from the nearby pond, Ino looks up to see the full moon through the canopy of leaves. She feels his hot tongue flick over her neck softly, and she releases a shuddering breath as she arches her body against him. It is purely instinct, she decides to reassure herself, but she doesn't know why she can't push him away.

Deep inside of her core a warmth is growing and it makes her shift and slide her thighs together as his hand travels down her stomach. Ino is nervous when his fingers glide over and under her skirt, and a startled cry escapes her throat as one of his fingers slips beneath her panties to stroke her. For the first time in her life she is unsure of what will happen, she has never trekked in these murky waters of love and has never been involved in any kind of physical relationship. Infact this is the first time she has ever been kissed, tears start to fall from her eyes as he kneads her breast in one of his hands, the other probing and tickling her nether regions as he tries to maneuver through her soft blonde hair. He gives a slightly frustrated grunt as he releases her breast to lift her skirt with both hands and pull down her panties. She watches as he bends down to pull them from around her sandals, and is startled when she feels him kiss her thigh. Her sea green panties are flung out into the bushes without a second thought, and she has no more time to mourn them as he spreads her thighs apart slightly to taste her. His fingers are spreading her open and she can feel the heat rising up her cheeks as her knees begin to buckle, because oh god this feels better than anything else in her life and she doesn't want it to end, but her legs are becoming weak and she feels like she will fall. He seems to realize her struggle as he pulls himself away from her, his lips are wet and his eyes are cloudy with lust, his finger enters her and she knits her eyebrows up at the new and strange sensation. He smirks at her as he softly caresses her insides, his tongue finding her strange little bump which elicits cries of protests from the girl whimpering above him.

She wraps her arms back around the tree in an attempt to hold herself up, but she is slowly slipping onto the ground and her bottom touches the cold damp leaves of the forest floor, but she doesn't notice because her eyes are closed and what he is doing feels incredibly good. But suddenly he isn't licking or even touching her anymore, and she opens her eyes to look up at him in confusion. Why has he stopped doing that wonderful thing? Doesn't he see how much she likes it? She notices how he seems to be struggling with himself, his forehead is beaded with perspiration and he is trembling slightly. Ino pushes herself up so that she is sitting and looks up at him, his bulging erection becoming clear from this angle. She tentatively reaches up and brushes her fingers over the fabric of his pants, he hisses and leans over to support himself against the tree, and she bites her lip in contemplation.

Ino wasn't born yesterday, infact she has read quite a few romance novels and she knows the mechanics of sex very well. During the academy when young girls come to age they are taught sexual education, but nothing can really prepare you for what to do in the actual situation.

She decides to help him relieve himself and unzips his pants. When she grabs his boxers and lets them slide down his legs she is shocked. His cock flops out and juts straight out into her face, the smell is musky and wild and she is excited and frightened by it at the same time. Her shaking fingers wrap around the tip experimentally and she slides the foreskin away to reveal the hot and sticky mess that it was disguising. A whisp of steam curls up into the air as she leans forward to give it a small lick, and Shikamaru cries out as she wraps her tongue around him. His taste is similar to the smell; she feels like she licked her arm, the taste of skin is prominent, but his arousal is salty and strange. It's bitter and she doesn't know if it's gross or not, so she gives it another lick and another until she is sucking him softly.

His fingers are curled into her hair and his hips are moving with the rhythm of her licks and sucks. She has no idea what she is doing and neither does he, but it feels alright so they don't quit. Ino gasps as he suddenly pulls his length from her mouth, and she looks up at him to see a wild passion burning in his eyes. A tingle runs through her womanhood as he kneels infront of her and spreads her legs.

"W-wait! Baka!" She whispers harshly as her hands fly to cover her innocent region. Her fingers become warm and even more wet than before, and she blushes madly as his hands slide over her knees. "What do you think you're doing?"

He looks at her with an expression she has never seen on his face, Ino watches as he wets his lips before he begins to speak.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" And suddenly he leans forward to capture her lips in a crushing kiss, their teeth clack and he pushes her so that she is lying on her back, and his manhood brushes against her thigh. It's burning hot and she can feel it weeping on her leg, and she doesn't know if she wants to continue, but his mouth is on her neck and his hand is sliding down her stomach and suddenly there is a pressure and a stinging inside of her. She feels tears on the corners of her eyes as he pushes himself inside of her. Is this rape? She looks up at him and the tingling in her stomach intensifies. No this isn't rape, it feels too right but the tears won't stop falling for some reason. She reaches up and strokes his face softly and his eyes lock with hers as he leans down to kiss her. Their tongues twist and flick together in a heap of gasping breaths and smacks. One of his hands is holding him up, but the other is holding her hip. She feels kind of silly with her legs spread wide on the ground, her lazy teammate sweating and panting above her, and she almost wants to laugh at how strange all of this is but suddenly words are pouring out of her mouth and his moaning is getting louder, his grip tighter on her hip.

"I love you, I love you, I love you.." She whispers again and again as her insides erupt into fire, gushing out and filling her with a calmness she has never known before. Her legs twitch as he pulls himself up to look at her with a serious expression.

"I love you too."

* * *

It's almost two months before they see each other again, Ino is sitting on his front porch with her toes digging into the grass. She's waiting for him to get home from a mission, nothing big.. just a delivery to a village nearby. She senses him before she can actually see him, but when she sees him her heart begins to flutter. She's nervous and scared and something on his face tells her that he isn't very happy, infact- he looks furious when he sees her. His eyes are slanted and his lip is caught between his teeth. She gets the feeling she is the last person he wants to see, but what she has to say is just too important.

The look on his face is almost too much, and her mind is racing a mile a minute when she shouts out suddenly..

"I'm pregnant!"

His eyes pop wide at her sudden declaration and she falls to her knees to weep and beg his forgiveness. She says she forgot to take a potion that would stop it from happening, that she never even thought of being pregnant as a possibility, but he isn't hearing anything she is saying as he falls to his knees. He is crying and Ino is shocked, mostly because the only other times she has ever seen him cry was when Asuma sensei and his father died during the war. She can't find the strength to reach over to him so she cries too and they just look at each other. Ino completely oblivious to his predicament.

When he stops crying he looks up at her and he pushes himself up so they can talk, and he leans forward to embrace her and tells her that he loves her, but his voice sounds strange and his next words shatter her heart into a million pieces and then some..

"I'm being forced into an arranged marriage-"

Before the words can leave his mouth fully she pushes him away and begins to run. Tears fill up her eyes and she can hardly see where it is that she is running. She can hear herself sobbing a response to his calling her name. It sounds something like "fuck off", but she can hardly decipher it herself from her sobbing. She runs and runs until her legs are sore and burning, and she weeps for her own selfish desires and the child growing inside of her...and she contemplates just ending their life so that they won't have to suffer..so she won't have to suffer, but before she can plunge the kunai into her womb his warm arms are wrapping around her, and she drops the cold sharp object to the ground as she turns into him and weeps onto his chest. She can feel cool wet droplets fall into her hair.

* * *

Temari of the sand, Ino scoffs as she peers over at her through veiled lashes. Shikamaru is standing at her side looking deathly bored, his eyes saying "kill me please..", but Ino can't smile at him. She can't smile at anything anymore. She looks down at her swollen stomach and sighs, she is four months pregnant and abnormally large. Her mother is suspicious of her weight gain, and she will have to tell her that she is pregnant soon. She's decided on saying it was a seduction mission gone wrong, that the child is from one of her targets..although that makes Shikamaru grit his teeth. Her eyes wander away from them and to the small cup of tea resting in her hands, she places it on the table and stands up and walks away. She can't stand to look at that bitch's smiling face. She is so smug and proud standing beside her husband-to-be, Ino's fists clench as she stalks back to the flower shop.

It's almost midnight when there is a knock on her window, and she doesn't have to look to know who it is that is picking her lock. The only two people brave enough are Shikamaru and Chouji, but Chouji's been gone for two weeks training with his father. A large shadow looms over her bed and she tries to feign sleep but he knows she is pretending. The bed dips as he lays down beside her, and she realizes that her body is shaking with tears.

"Let's run away." He whispers into her ear, " we can be missing nin and train our children to be assassins or something. I'll get some land and we can have a farm up in the mountains where you can milk the cows and work in the garden."

Ino smiles as she turns around into his chest, the stubble on his chin catches her hair. "You'd do that for me?"

"I'd do anything for you."

She frowns as he squeezes her tightly, "Don't tell me that kind of thing." She doesn't want him to say things he doesn't mean, she knows that he would never turn against the village. She couldn't leave either...they both have to think of their mothers, their clans, their friends and fellow villagers. It isn't fair to run away and break people's hearts. Ino's eyes begin to form tears again, but she wipes them away.

"Why not? I'll do it. I'll tell mom that your pregnant and then she will have Naruto call this off..."

Ino wraps her arms around him tightly, "There's nothing we can do...it'll only cause a conflict now."

Shikamaru frowns against her hair and they both just lay in silence.

"I love you.." She whispers as her eyes flutter closed, she barely registers his response as she slips into unconsciousness.

* * *

She's sitting in the Flowershop on her stool when the letter arrives. She is 39 weeks pregnant and it's hard to get around. She slips carefully from her stool to walk to the door, a young shinobi hands her the envelope with a smile.

"This just came in, Miss Yamanaka." He says cheerfully. "Thought I'd bring it straight over so you wouldn't have to wait too long."

She smiles up at him and thanks him, "You're a doll, Daisuke!" He waves back at her as he turns the corner, and her heart sinks when she looks at the curving calligraphy decorating the front of the envelope. It's her hand, there's no doubt about it. Ino can't even open the letter for fear of a break down, so instead she waddles over to the counter and places it down for another time. Before she can even register what is happening she is on the ground in a pool of liquid, screaming as a sudden clenching pain rips through her body.

The next thing she remembers is being in a hospital, the lights flashing above her as she is ushered through the halls in a wheel chair. She grips her stomach in pain as another contraction rips through her insides, her scream is shrill and painfilled. There are lots of people hovering over her and talking in hushed whispers as they pick her up and transfer her to a bed, she is in a private room, a delivery room, and her mother is standing in the corner. In her delirium she reaches out and beckons for her mother to come. The strawberry blonde haired woman complies and makes her way toward the bed and Ino grips her hand as her vision starts to blur.

"Shikamaru," Ino cries as her head rolls back in agony. "Get him..bring him here."

Her mother nods uncertainly and then pries her fingers from her daughter's hands as she leaves the room, Ino watches the door close before a needle is pushed into her vein and the IV starts to take affect. They fill her with fluid and pain relievers, but they have little time to take effect before the child is crowning. She screams as her loins burst into fire and her body feels like it is being torn apart.

"The first child has been birthed Ino-pig, just two more to go."

A wailing mass is handed from doctor to nurse and taken off to the other side of the room before Ino can compose herself, another bolt of pain echoes through her muscles.

"What?" She screams, part in pain and part in shock. "What do you mean?" She grips the metal bars on the side of the bed as Sakura turns to look at her.

"I mean you've got two more on the way."

Ino doesn't know when Shikamaru got in the room, twelve hours of labor flies by in an instant and nothing seems real as she looks at the three wriggling children laying at the end of the bed. Her mother picks up one and Shikamaru reaches a finger down to stroke another's hand, but Ino can't seem to look at them. They have his face. Every single one of them are almost exact copies of him besides for their coloring. Their blonde hair and dark blue eyes are like hers, but all babies eyes are blue when they are born. Fear swells in her breast when her mother places one of the babies down to go answer the door. Chouji barges in huffing and puffing like he ran all the way from the land of waves. He looks at Ino, and to their other teammate resting on the end of the bed in confusion before he stares wide eyed at the babies.

"Triplets? Wow!" He smiles as he scoops one up and hugs him to his chest. "All boys?"

Ino nods at him and looks down to one of the crying infants, her instincts take over and she carefully picks him up, he smells foul from being inside of her, and his hands are wrinkled and sort of blue, but he is wonderful. She kisses his head and puts him down before reaching for the child Shikamaru is cradling. His full head of blonde hair is sticking straight up off of his head and he starts to wail before she pulls him close to her chest. Chouji brings her her last son and she strokes his cheek, now they are laying side by side.

"They're wonderful." Shikamaru breathes, somehow his fingers have tangled up with hers.

"Beautiful." Ino's mother chimes as she walks towards the door, no one sees her wave Chouji out.

"What're you going to name them?" Ino asks as she pulls her hand from his, her good feelings are starting to wear off and there is a dull ache between her legs.

Shikamaru glances up at her and then back at the boys.

He points to the closest of his sons who is wearing blue, "Ichiro."

The second in yellow,"Isamu."

The third in green,"Iruma."

Ino smiles at how fitting their names are, and watches as he reaches for the clipboard at the end of the bed. When he grabs the pen and starts to fill out the information she reaches over to stop him.

"You can't claim them Shikamaru..it'll be trouble."

"Am I supposed to deny them then?" He says quietly, he is starting to pull on his mask, the guarded facade that he wears when he is upset. "Besides, with the way you were cursing me after Isamu was born, I think everyone in the maternity ward knows I'm the father."

"But they aren't Temari, or the elders."

He grumbles as he allows the clipboard to slide from his hands, he leans down to look at his sons closely.

"I don't want this.." He whispers as he gently picks up Ichiro, the baby boy parts his lids but immediately shuts them with a yawn. "I wish I could be a dad for all of you." He puts him down gently after kissing his forehead.

On the bed the boys begin to wail uncontrollably, and Ino's mother and Chouji rush back in to find Ino sitting alone with the triplets, she is crying too.

* * *

**Done, tell me what you think. I'm gunna do another chapter from Temari's side and then one for Shihoko, and then the new baby. Then I think I'll be completely finished.**

**sorry for any errors.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Inspired by The classical channel on Pandora.**

**Next part of the story..before you flame yes it's in Temari's POV, but this isn't a Shikatema story and this will explain why..if you don't like it then don't read it. Flames will be ignored:)!**

* * *

The sand is swirling around in the wind, spraying her legs harshly as if to distract her from the aching in her chest. She looks out of their bedroom window and leans against the frame. The whistling and whipping of the curtains distract her from the thoughts racing in her head and she crumples the letter in her palm.

_"I'll be late, don't wait up."_

It's their wedding night and she is alone after a beautiful ceremony. She reaches up to stroke her lips softly, she can still feel his lips against her own and it makes her heart flutter. She frowns as she looks over to the perfectly made bed; with its silky sheets and pillow shams, around the bed frame lace curtains billow and twist in the air, rose petals whisking up and out the open window. She walks out onto the balcony to watch the sand swirling around like tiny tornados, the moon casts a blue hue down and for a moment the desert looks like the ocean.

She doesn't know how long she stayed up to wait for him, after all it is their wedding night and she has planned something special, but she wakes up when she is placed onto the bed by her husband. Temari smiles up at him sleepily, and blushes because of what she is wearing. He doesn't seem to notice the red lace bra and matching lace underwear as he pulls his arms from beneath her. She bites her bottom lip and grabs the sleeves of his button down dress shirt, and she looks up at him with large eyes.

"I'm tired." he drawls out as she sits up, her hands clutching his sleeves tighter.

"But it's our wedding night," she says quietly, which is totally unlike her in every way. She is usually loud and out spoken with him, direct and forward, but she can't muster the courage for that now. Not when he looks at her with such a uncaring gaze. "Shouldn't we be celebrating." She bites her lip and pulls him gently onto the bed, he doesn't put up too much of a fight, but he isn't very cooperative either.

In frustration tears start to form at the edges of her eyes, and she frowns when her kisses and touches don't elicit a response.

"I'm trying to make love to you and you aren't even interested." She cries and pounds her fist against his chest, which makes him crack open one of his closed eyes to inspect her. "I want you to touch me, Shikamaru."

"I'm just tired." He tries to reassure her with a fake smile. Temari looks over at him with a small scowl that makes him laugh, and he strokes her arm awkwardly and coaxes her to lay down before doing so himself.

"Tomorrow then?" She asks quietly, his back is turned to her but she knows he isn't asleep yet. She scoots forward and curls against his back. He doesn't fight her when she wraps an arm around his waist, but he doesn't try to hold her hand back when she slips it inside of his.

This isn't what Temari imagined marriage to be like.

Every night is spent in the same manner, with a reluctant husband and a pleading wife. But he becomes less gentle about his rejection with time.

During the day he is off handling political matters and planning strategies and revising theories, and he stays gone well into the night. Every night he promises that he will give her what she wants whenever he is no longer tired, but Temari doesn't know when that day will come.

As she walks down the streets of Sunagakure she smiles at the people passing by. She is proud of her husband because he has made her village safe and secure, she is proud of his achievements and is honored to be his wife. People turn to her with reverence not only because her brother is the Kazikage, but because her husband is the reason for their increasing happiness. As she approaches the Kage's tower she looks up toward the balcony and sees her brother and her husband looking down over the sandy plains. She turns and looks to where Shikamaru is pointing and she wonders what it is they're discussing. Probably some way of improving security, or more plans to expand the village perimeter to allow more housing, Shikamaru is always thoughtful in these ways. She smiles and waves up at them when they look her direction, and she receives a nod from them both.

With a bounce in her step she makes her way up the tower stairs to see them, of course her own duties are similar to Shikamaru's, but only when they are sent to different locations as representatives. She also acts as an advisor along with her younger brother Kankuro, but Gaara has been consulting her husband more often lately. When she enters The Kage's office she sits in her husband's chair and looks over a few documents, and that's when she discovers a letter. It isn't signed and is completely blank on the envelope, but when she opens it the scent of flowers wafts up into her face.

_Oh! I forgot to mention in my last letter that the fawns are doing well and are growing to be big and strong, I suppose that's to be expected. All of the deer are alive and well, except for two bucks that were fatally wounded during the rut season. Anyways, Your mother says she misses your help on the farm, and we also miss you dearly. When are you coming home to visit? From your last letter it seems like you're in dire need of a reprieve. We're waiting here patiently for you to return._

_The boys have started to walk now, it's so hard to chase after all three at a time, but thankfully enough Chouji is a great retriever, and your mother likes to stop by and help out too. We are going to stay with mom for a few more months, that is until I can afford my own apartment. I wish you'd stop sending us money though Shikamaru..please stop._

_Anyways I included a family photo we had taken on their first birthday. I'm sorry that you couldn't make it, but don't be upset over it._

Temari stared at the curving script for a long moment before looking back into the envelope. A small photo was tucked between a piece of parchment. On it sat a woman with her three sons sitting in her lap. All of the boys had their eyes half lidded, but the one in the middle was giving an incredibly large yawn, while the other two seemed to be already half asleep. She smiled as she placed the photo back in place. The children were beautiful and just adorable, but something made her feel a pang of jealousy. She knew that the woman used to be his teammate, but why did Shikamaru write to her? It was innocent enough, but this letter seemed to be a response, and in the beginning she had mentioned that she had forgotten to include this information in her previous letter. In the pit of her stomach, a strange feeling began to sprout. Before she could be discovered she placed the letter back into the envelope and resealed it, placing it in the same area at she had found it in, and began to look through the various plans on his desk. After all, she had every right to look through his things. She was his wife as well as a representative to her nation.

It was that night that Shikamaru came home that Temari suggested that they try to have a child. The elders had been hounding her for months already, but each time she would tell them she just wasn't ready yet.

Shikamaru would give her a look, but didn't make a comment when this would come up during a meeting. She knew it would embarrass him if she told them the truth, so she lied.

"I want a child." She told him, she was pulling on her pajamas with her back turned to him, but she knew what expression he was giving her.

"I'm too busy, the village is in a tough spot right now and your brother needs my full attention."

Temari scowled as she turned towards him, "You act like you're the one who would be carrying it around and caring for it."

It was Shikamaru's turn to scowl at her, and his expression made her back away. He sat on the bed and covered his legs with the sheets before replying.

"You act like it's your sole responsibility. Being a parent is more than selfish desire."

Temari scoffed and laid down in the bed, ripping the sheets off of him and curling them around her body. "How would you know what being a parent is like? I practically raised my brothers when my mother died! You don't think I know sacrifice? Who are you to say that I want a child only for my own benefit? The elders want us to have a child too if you've forgotten!"

Shikamaru glowered at her and started to respond before shutting his mouth, Temari glared over at him as he grabbed the corner of the sheet and jerked his rightful half back.

"I don't understand why you don't want to make love to me," she mumbles. "why are we even married?" She starts to cry as she turns over, and she hears him shift uncomfortably on the matress. Crying usually gets her what she wants with him(besides with this one issue), he can't take it when a woman cries, and he usually gives in to whatever she desires.

"Just give me a little more time," He says quietly and his hand is awkwardly stroking her shoulder like always. His touches are forced and foreign. The only time he has even remotely showed any sign of affection was when he kissed her on their wedding day, but even now Temari is questioning whether or not he did that willingly. "I promise I'll give you a child soon...just wait."

And then his hand is gone and he has turned away from her, and his breath is falling in an evenness that means sleep has consumed him.

Temari decides then that she can wait, he is a busy man, so she could wait a little longer.

* * *

It's their one year anniversary and he forgot all about it, which suits Temari fine. She is lounging on the bed when he stumbles into the dark room. He looks confused by all of the lit candles scattered about the room as he walks towards the light switch. He closes the door behind him and tries to make his way through the dark. Temari smiles and quietly gets off the matress. She walks up behind him and slips her arms around his waist, her hands sliding up his chest. His hand stops short of the switch and he groans. She pulls him towards the bed and gives him a gentle shove to make him fall back onto the matress. She smiles at his scowl, his face dancing with shadow in the dimly lit room.

"Do you know what today is?" She asks quietly as she straddles his lap. He looks up at her obliviously as she starts to unzip his vest, he doesn't let her remove it but she doesn't mind. It's farther than he usually lets her go. She can tell by the look that suddenly crosses his features that he has finally figured out his mistake.

"I'm sorry." He says that but his voice betrays him. He isn't sorry at all.

"It's been a full year since we got married and you haven't kept your promise Shikamaru."

He frowns up at her and averts his eyes. "I'm not ready."

Temari smiles down at him sadly, "I am. I've been ready for a long time." She begins to move her hips in small circles, her arousal causing her to gasp and moan ontop of him. When his hands come up to grasp her she feels an immeasurable happiness bubble in her heart. "You don't have to do anything," She whispers as she leans in to capture his lips in a hungry kiss, but he doesn't reciprocate her actions. This doesn't deter her however, as she has faced his defenses before. "I'll do all the work baby, please." She whimpers as she kisses down his cheek to his chin, but is shoved gently off of him.

"I'm not ready to raise children yet."

Temari frowns at him and sits up huffing, her hair in disarray.

"You won't have to do anything," she pleads with him, but he moves to the other side, on the edge of the bed he starts to take off his sandals without answering her. "I'll do everything!" She shouts as she stands up on her knees and crawls toward him. She wraps her arms around his neck and presses her body to his back. Her hands pull off his vest and his shirt for him and she crawls back, pulling him to lay down. "Who said we even had to have children right away? I can take medicine for that. I don't understand why you don't want me...am I not beautiful enough?"

"You're plenty beautiful." He answers truthfully.

"Then why don't you want me? You've never even tried to touch me!" She grabs his hand and places it on her breast. "What would you like me to do?" She drops his hand and runs her fingers through her hair. "Do you want me to grow out my hair? Is short hair ugly to you? I'll do it if that's what you want." She maneuvers herself around so that she is straddling him again. "Do you want to be in control? You can do whatever you want to me Shikamaru." Her voice is desperate and pleading as she looks down at his handsome face. "You haven't tried to touch me once...is there...something wrong down there?" She asks as she starts to unbutton his pants.

She has never gotten this far, and as she slides off of his lap to pull his pants down to his ankles she blushes, the first penis she has ever seen. It's kind of small and limp, not like she had imagined them to be at all. And Shikamaru cries out in surprise when she takes it gently into her hand and begins to lightly stroke it. It starts to harden in her hand and she gasps in surprize when it weeps into her palm. It's grown quite large in only a matter of moments, and Shikamaru is gasping and groaning as she pumps his length.

"Does this feel good?" She asks quietly as she watches the skin moving over and back with her ministrations. His member jerks in her hand and the wild smell is almost intoxicating. She leans forward to give it an experimental lick, and that's when Shikamaru pulls away from her and makes his way to their bathroom where he locks himself in for almost half an hour. Temari can hear the water running, but no steam curls out from the crack under the door. She lays on the bed and tries to release the feeling of tightness in her core, but her own hands aren't enough so she gives up and turns onto her side. She falls asleep shortly before he exits the bathroom and climbs into the bed.

* * *

They're visiting Konoha for the first time since their marriage. It's been three years since her husband has set foot in his home village. He smiles when the gates come into view, and Temari feels happy for him. She's happy that he is smiling, even if it isn't because of her. When they enter the gates they're greeted by Kotetsu and Izumo, Temari doesn't know their names, but Shikamaru calls out to them and they exchange a few words.

It doesn't take long for them to check in with Naruto at the Hokage tower, and soon they're on their way to the Nara household. They are walking down the central street, the largest and most direct path to his home, when three blonde haired boys run out from a shop on the corner. They laugh and scream as they chase each other, but suddenly they turn and their faces light up.

"Baa-chan!" They scream as they run past Temari, and she can't help but to look back to whoever it is they are shouting for. A woman in her late forties bends down to embrace them, her short strawberry blonde hair covering her face.

At her side, Shikamaru stiffens. She looks over at him and gives the arm wrapped around hers a gentle squeeze, and that's when she sees her. Her blonde locks falling over her right eye, her arm raised in greeting. Shikamaru just stares at her for a long time before raising his own hand for a small wave, and Temari starts to feel a familiar twinge in the pit of her stomach.

The blonde jogs over to them and smiles brightly, and Temari can't help but smile back at her, after all...it isn't like she's done anything.

"Temari." Ino bows and gives a strange smile, it doesn't meet her eyes and seems practiced.

"Yamanaka." Temari says with a slight bow, and she watches the woman like a hawk as she greets her husband.

"Shika."

Temari grits her teeth at the casual sound, like it is an every day meeting...like it is instinct to seem so comfortable, but after all..they were teammates for years. She looks over at her husband who gives a small smile, it's genuine and he looks...happy. His eyes are shining and he even seems excited to see her, but that's to be expected, right? It's been over three years since he has returned to his home.

"Ino, it's good to see you."

And then Temari is forgotten as they fall into a conversation about the people and the places that she has no idea about. The children and the older woman come to join them. The boys hide behind their mother, and Temari can't help but to think that there is something familiar about them, something she should notice. She is in the middle of half of a realization when she is interrupted, and she forgets about it immediately.

"Temari," Ino says as she turns to her, and emerald eyes meet teal ones for the first time since their meeting. "Would you and Shikamaru like to join us for dinner? It isn't much, but we'd be happy to have your company."

Temari looks over at her husband, who is staring at the blonde with a confused expression, and nudges him slightly to get his attention. "Don't we need to go see your mother? I'm sure she would like to see you on your first day back in the village." but Temari doesn't care about that really, she just wants the uneasiness in her heart to fade away, she wants to get away from the woman and her multitude of children. She looks up at Ino with an apologetic smile, "Maybe another day? We will be here for a few weeks."

"Of course!" Ino says as she blushes and nods, "I totally forgot that you two would be busy."

Out of the corner of her eye she sees her husband's smile falter, and the small victory starts to leave a bitter taste in her mouth.

After saying their goodbyes they head for the Nara complex once again, Shikamaru's smile does not return for the remainder of the walk..

* * *

Yoshino Nara answers the door with a bright smile, and she embraces her daughter-in-law with a warm hug. When she disengages her smile wilts into a frown as she reaches up to tug on her sons ear and scold him for not coming home more often.

"Maaaaa.." Shikamaru grumbles as he is released, he rubs his ear and Temari suppresses a giggle as they're led inside.

"Your bags arrived around noon and I expected you here much earlier!" The older woman says as she leads them down a long hallway, they come to a flight of stairs and head up to the second floor. Yoshino carries a lantern as to light the hallway, and with Shikamaru's help, hangs it up in the middle of the ceiling on a hook, so that the corridor was sparsely lit. "Sorry about the darkness, but Shikaku never got around to installing the electricity on this level." Her smile is sad and Temari touches her shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it," she says softly because just the mention of her deceased father-in-law is enough to shroud the house in a palpable depression. "When I was growing up sand storms prevented our village from having electricity for many years. Infact, most of my nights were spent in candle light."

Yoshino nods to her and gives a soft sigh before turning back down the corridor, there's really no need to say anything more. They begin to walk down the hallway when Temari almost trips, she gives a startled cry as she reaches out to grab ahold of anything near. Beside her, Shikamaru reaches over to grab her elbow. It startles her at first, but then she realizes that the hallway is warped and the floor is uneven, so she doesn't reprimand him for keeping her steady.

"Careful." He says quietly, but sternly enough that she can tell she has annoyed him. She swears that she hears him whisper something along the lines of "_troublesome_."

She scowls at him and pulls her elbow free, and instead decides to use the wall as support. She can tell that this has aggravated him more, but she knows he won't say anything to her about it. He never says much of anything to her.

They reach their room shortly, and his mother informs them that she already made Konohamaru (who delivered the bags to her home earlier) bring the bags up to the room.

"I'll leave you two to get comfortable," she says with a smile, before turning to her son." Dinner will be ready in an hour and you'd better come down washed up and ready to help out."

Shikamaru groans as he ushers his mother out of the room, and Temari places a hand over her mouth to hide her smile.

"Maybe I should ask your mother for some pointers over dinner," she says quietly, but she knows he can hear her. "Then maybe I could get you to help out around the house."

He gives her a grunt before putting his bag on the bed. He immediately starts to toss his clothes into a large dresser resting against the wall. It's hard to see in the room, but her eyes begin to adjust and she can see the large queen sized bed pushed against the wall, a large window with wooden blinds nestled behind the head board. Across the room is the door the entered through, and the large dresser is situated on the other side of the bed. It isn't too big of a room, but it serves it's purpose well enough.

Ignoring her bag Temari crawls onto the matress and leans against the head board. She reaches up and twists the blinds so that the fading sunlight can illuminate the room. Her husband's shadow dances and flickers as he moves about the room, and Temari watches his every movement closely. His shoulders are slumped and relaxed, the muscles in his arms less tense than usual, and even his face has lost it's usual tightness. This is more like the man she married three years ago, the relaxed and always in control man, and not the stressed tense mess that she has come to know as of late. Her heart swells as she takes in the sight, it's something she hasn't seen for a while.

She stands up from the bed and walks around to his side, where she touches his arm softly. He turns towards her and looks at her expectantly.

"I'm happy that you're glad to be home." She says as she leans up to kiss his cheek, and she embraces him for a moment before turning towards the door. "I'll go help your mom, you just relax."

She misses the look of confusion that crosses his features as she walks out the door, but in that moment all of her anxiety is washed away, because Shikamaru looks relieved.

She makes her way slowly down the stairs, and after a few wrong turns she finds the kitchen. It has been quite a few years since her last visit to this home, and the size of it always makes her a little disoriented. Although the Naras are not one of the most prominent clans of the village, they still have quite a bit of land. Most of their property is devoted to the deer that they raise, but this house is quite large. She smiles at Yoshino as she enters the kitchen, and she washes her hands before turning to the woman. She admires the quaintness of the room, with its soft yellow walls and old lace accents. It's one of those country kitchens that one can adore, but not really desire in their own home, or at least that is Temari's opinion.

A long oval table is situated over by the back door, with six chairs placed around the edges. Black and white photographs are hung up sparsely around the room, and Temari walks over to one that catches her eye. There are four people in the photo, three young children and a man with dark hair and a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. She immediately recognizes her husband and his blonde teammate, and the chubby boy beside them seems quite familiar too. She smiles as she touches the dusty glass and rubs it clear. Her husbands scowl makes her laugh quietly, but something about the photo strikes a nerve, so she turns away from it.

"You come here to help or not?" Yoshino asks loudly, to which Temari can only smile nervously and nod.

They fall into a rhythm of moving around each other. Setting plates and utensils and dishing out food. They don't really talk much, unless Temari asks for direction, but that's okay. Temari likes that Yoshino doesn't tip toe around her, it's refreshing. When the table is finally set Temari walks up the stairs to retrieve her husband, and she find him fast asleep on their bed. She smiles as she walks quietly up to his side of the bed and sits down, leaning over to look at him tenderly. He looks so sweet when he is sleeping, she thinks to herself as she places a hand on the matress by his shoulder. She leans forward and kisses his forehead, and he grunts at her quietly. He is still asleep, she knows because his breathing hasn't changed yet, and she reaches up with one of her hands to stroke his hair softly.

"Wake up." She says softly, and he leans into the warmth of her hand. These are the few moments that she receives his affection, and she treasures them dearly, even if he does it unknowingly in his sleep.

She leans down again to kiss his lips softly, and his eyes flutter open and immediately he is staring up at her unintelligibly.

"It's time to eat." She says just as his mother begins to shout from the kitchen for him to "_get his lazy butt down stairs"_, and Temari laughs when he rolls his eyes and groans loudly. He doesn't make a move to get up though, because she is leaning over him still, and after a few moments his eyebrows knit together.

Temari sighs and leaves the room before she has to explain that she has fallen more in love with him in that moment before he opened his eyes...he is a completely different person when he is asleep.

During dinner the topic of children comes up, and Temari shifts uncomfortably in her chair. Shikamaru just dodges the questions easily with an excuse or total ignorance, but the way his mother looks at him makes her feel ashamed.

"It's not his fault," Temari says quietly, which makes both of the dark haired persons at the table look over at her. "It's mine..so please don't hassle him about it."

Yoshino starts to give her a haughty retort, but instead her face softens sadly. For the first time that night, the older woman keeps her thoughts to herself.

When they finally retire for the night Temari changes into her pajamas in the adjoining restroom. She looks at her reflection in the mirror. She strokes her two long pigtails thoughtfully, and she contemplates leaving them up so that she won't have to fix her hair tomorrow., but she pulls them down. It's been almost three years since she stopped cutting her hair, and it falls down to her waist easily as she runs her fingers through it.

She misses her old hair style, but she keeps it long because she has observed Shikamaru's distaste for short haired girls. He thinks they are trying to be too boyish, he said that once..or something along those lines. She turns her head from left to right and admires herself. She likes the way she looks, more like a woman and less like a spike haired child. She smoothes her hands over her silky tank top and adjusts her sleeping shorts before walking out to the bedroom.

She notices how his eyes flicker over to her for a moment, and he lowers his book slightly when she climbs onto the bed. She knows he is expecting her to pounce on him (like she usually would), but she doesn't. He looks over at her as she tucks herself within the sheets and says,

"You look different."

Temari turns onto her side and glances up at him, and he lifts an eyebrow at her.

"What do you mean?"

He scowls and turns back to reading his book, but not too long afterwards he says, "Your hair..it's nice."

Temari smiles and inches towards him, and by the stiffening of his body she knows he has noticed.

"Don't worry," she says as she wraps an arm around his middle. "I'm not going to jump you."

His body doesn't relax however, and she sighs as she pulls away from him. She turns away as she closes her eyes, and if he responds or even cares that she has pulled away..she doesn't know it. She is fast asleep in moments.

* * *

They are walking down the street three days later when they bump into Ino again just outside her apartment, but this time there is a man with her. He seems quite familiar to Temari, but she doesn't know who he is until her husband embraces him.

"Hey Chouji."

"Shikamaru! How've you been?" Chouji asks as they pull away from each other.

Temari smiles at him and bows when he turns to her, and she blushes when he compliments her hair. "Thank you, Chouji-San." She says, and she can tell by the look he gives her that he is surprised. She knows why he thinks she is acting strange, she even thinks that she is too. Before her marriage she was blunt and opinionated..but these few years of silence and solitude...these years of self consciousness have changed her. She feels like a breeze now, instead of a slicing wind.

Ino smiles at everyone and invites them in. "The boys are napping so we will have grown up time."

Temari is led on by the three, although she desires to be anywhere but the platinum blonde's home.

They walk up the rusty metal stairs and Temari bites her lip, she doesn't know why her stomach is deciding to revolt against her. Her head starts to swim with vertigo when they reach the door, and she steadies herself on her husband's arm. She doesn't know why her body feels so strange, but she feels like she is going to be sick everytime she looks at Ino. Beside her, Shikamaru casts her a strange look, one more of curiosity that concern, but Ino reaches out and touches her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She asks quietly, there is genuine concern in her eyes..and something else resides there too. Temari simply nods and releases her hold on Shikamaru, but she doesn't miss the look that is passed between them.

They enter the house and are invited to sit down. It's a nice and cozy sized apartment. The walls are painted a pale lime green, and the furniture is a soft beige. White lacey curtains accent the windows and pictures clutter the walls and every available surface. They are all photos of Ino's children, and Temari starts to feel an aching in her chest. She doesn't want to be here, she doesn't want to sit here, all she wants is to go home. But Shikamaru wants to be here, it's obvious by the way he talks to his former teammates.

Temari sits quietly and only speaks when she is spoken to. She knows she is being childish, but she feels jealous of this woman; the woman who can make her husband smile, the woman who has lots of pictures, the woman who has children. Temari bites her lip and tries to suppress her resentment. It isn't right of her, but she is so jealous of this woman's life. Even though she has no husband she has three wonderful children, and Temari has a husband and not a child of her own.

In the background Ino is asking everyone if they want tea, but Temari declines only with a shake of her head. She hears Shikamaru tell her that he would like a cup, and she glances over at him with a raised brow. He hates tea, absolutely dislikes it..or so she thought. She watches him take the cup from their host's hands, and she doesn't miss how his fingers brush against hers affectionately. It's the last straw, she doesn't know if she is imagining things..or if everything is suddenly becoming clear.

Anger swells up in her breast and she suddenly stands, looking down at him with eyes slanted. She is almost on the verge of tears when she turns to Ino, who seems quite shocked.

"I've got to go," she says as she crosses the room swiftly. "I don't feel well." Which isn't what she wants to say at all. She wants to speak all of her suspicions and her envy and her dislike, but that's not something she can force herself to do now. At one time she would've spoken out against him, both of them, but now...she just can't. Before the door closes she hears a man's voice, Chouji's, ask Shikamaru if she will be alright.

"She'll be fine." He says right before the door is shut, and tears fall from her eyes.

She walks down the road without caring who sees the tears, not many people are out and walking about anyway. When she reaches the Nara property she turns off of the road and wanders into the woods. She runs through branches and bushes and thorns without stopping, without feeling the pain that they cause her. Suspicion and jealousy are the seeds that bubble out from her mind and take root in her heart. She shouts suddenly and grabs a stick, hitting it against the things she passes in a blind fury. Her husbands reluctant attitude! The expressions of those children! The secrets behind Ino's eyes! The pictures! The letters! Her arms and legs are bleeding from being scraped against the thick under brush, but she doesn't care. She falls to her knees when she finally breaks through in a large clearing, oblivious to the hundreds of eyes watching her from the shadows. Her hands sink into the tall grass as she cries and releases the contents of her stomach, the fowl smell making her vomit again and again until she is only heaving. She lays down into the softness of the grass, her only comfort is the sweet smell of flowers wafting over the fowl stench of her bile, she cries herself into unconsciousness, unable to get up from her overexertion of blind fury.

She wakes up when she is being nudged harshly in the back, and she weakly turns towards her aggressor. Wide brown eyes blink at her, big lashes flutter as the beast brings it's hoove down to prod her again. Temari slowly sits and looks at the fawn in awe, her hand reaching out to touch it's soft fur. She pets it's nose and smiles when it licks and grabs her hand with it's lips.

"I'd be careful if I were you," A woman's voice calls from behind, Temari turns to see her mother-in-law approaching her. "Mothers are very protective of their young and will attack if they're unfamiliar with you." Her weathered hand is held infront of Temari's face and she takes it into her own dirty one. "You're such a mess." She fusses as she helps her up, and everything starts to rush back to her at once. She had almost forgotten why she was out there in the first place. "From the way you were screaming I suppose you've finally discovered my son's secret, or at least you were starting to."

Temari looks into the deep brown eyes of Yoshino in shock, and she starts to sputter as the woman pats her shoulder softly. "I'll tell you everything." The older woman says, and suddenly Temari's heart ways a thousand pounds and her legs won't move. Tears start to fall from her eyes as the words sink into her bones. Shikamaru's secret? Before she can voice all of her fears and suspicions Yoshino is speaking.

"They've always been in love," her eyes are glazed in thought, and Temari's heart clenches at her words. "They didn't know it at first, but I suppose that's how it always is. Who knows when they figured it out, but if you do the math it looks like those children were made before you were even engaged. I knew my son was acting strangely when we gave him the news...I should've known that it was something...that it wasn't just his normal attitude. I was blind to it, and for that I apologize. I should've stopped this whole mess before it even started, but I was thinking of my son's future. I wanted to do what was best for him. I figured out that Ino's children were my grand children after the two of you were married. Infact, I even feel like an idiot for not seeing it sooner. I should've known, all I should've done was just really take a look at them. Now it's so obvious that almost everyone in the village can see it, but what I wanted to tell you was that it happened before you. Please don't throw your marriage away because of something that happened before your engagement. Shikamaru can never take that back, and his feelings for his children...and maybe even his feelings for Ino will never change, but I want you to think about this before you do anything irrational: Why is he still married to you? My son never does anything that he doesn't believe is right. Even if he doesn't love you..there is a reason that you two are married. You should talk with him about this, but don't do it while you're upset."

Temari nods in understanding, but still the feelings inside of her heart claw at her. They tell her to be angry, but looking at his mother..taking a breath and really analyzing the situation before her, she realizes that it's out of her power to change. "He isn't much of a talker." She finally says, and Yoshino wraps an arm around her and leads her towards the house without a comment on that, because she had eighteen years with him before he was married, and she knew that from the moment he said his first word.

"Let's get you cleaned up." She says instead, and Temari gives a dry laugh as she looks down at her dirty hands. She can smell her vomit and sweat and it is almost enough to make her sick again, so she doesn't argue.

In the bathroom Temari sinks her nose down into the water, and closes her eyes. She tries to push the information out of her head, but still it lingers. The anger and resentment..the jealousy...it isn't gone, and she doesn't know how she is going to face him when he arrives, but she decides that she isn't going to loose her husband now. She will fight for him, and those are her last thoughts before she leaves the tub and gets dressed. Yoshino calls her down for dinner, Shikamaru mustve arrived sometime during her three hour bath. She sits across from her husband and doesn't look at him, but she can suppress her anger enough that the meal is pleasant.

As they lay in bed with all of the lights out she whispers over her shoulder, " We're going home in three days after we have our meeting with the council." Her tone leaves no room for argument, and she goes to sleep for the first time since their arrival without suspicion filling her heart.

Instead it is filled with a stubbornness and a desire to become everything he could want in a wife, and with her mind set on this goal: she sleeps soundly.

* * *

Its on the last night that Temari wakes up alone, and she reaches out to feel the cool sheets. Immediately she thinks that he has gone to the restroom, but there isn't even the faintest bit of light coming from beneath the door. She sits up and then swings her legs over the side of the bed. Quietly she reaches for her bathrobe, she'd hate for his mother to see her in her less than appropriate pajamas (not that they do anything to inspire her husband), so she wraps it around herself as she exits the bedroom. After searching the whole second floor she decides to try the kitchen because sometimes he slips out of bed to find something sweet, but he isn't in the kitchen. A strange sense of urgency fills her heart and she reaches out with her senses, trying to locate his chakra. She is very familiar with it, and when she senses it coming from the forest behind the house her heart begins to settle down, that is before she realizes that there is another chakra signature nearby. What if he is being attacked? She wonders as his chakra flares up. Forgetting that she has no weapons on her person she dashes out the back door, bare foot and robe flapping in the harsh wind. It looks like it is going to rain by the way the clouds are rumbling and moving quickly across the sky. When she reaches the forest she hops into the trees and suppresses her chakra, she wants the element of surprise if she is going to have to attack any enemy. It is when the rain starts to fall and she stops to rest under the cover of a thick branch that she spots her husband. His back is turned to her and he is slightly hunched over, but he is moving slightly, and she reaches her hand up to hold in her shocked scream.

Anger boils up in her heart and she reaches down for her kunai pouch, only to find that her leg is bare. She bites her lip as hard as she can, drawing blood as the two figures wrestle on the forest floor. She can see a wave of platinum blonde hair as they seperate for a moment, and she can hear the faint sound of voices but they are unintelligible over the sound of the pouring rain. Disgust and hatred fill up her heart and she clenches her fists as angry tears fall down her face. Not able to watch for a moment longer she bounds back towards the house blindly, she shirks off the soaked robe and leaves it to hang uselessly on a forgotten branch, and that's when she realizes that she is falling. She is just about to jump down to the ground before her foot slips, and she lands awkwardly on her side. The breath is forced out of her lungs when she hits the ground, and for a few moments she lays stunned in the cold wet grass before pushing herself up. Tears fall freely from her eyes as she curls up on herself. After a few moments her breath returns and she struggles to her feet, looking for all she is worth like she just stumbled away from death. She makes her way to the house and climbs the stairs, shivering and panting..completely ignoring his distraught mother.

"What happened?" She asks as she helps Temari up the stairs, but she won't speak.

Temari walks straight into the bathroom where Yoshino leans against the frame, she looks back at the empty bed for a moment before speaking.

"Did you have a fight?"

Temari wraps a towel around her head before wordlessly pushing past her mother-in-law to start packing her bags.

"I'm going to head out first." She says quietly, before she pulls her rain gear over her head.

"Are you insane? It's storming outside!" Yoshino moves to the door and closes it. "Just wait till tomorrow! Think this through!"

Temari shakes her head and brushes past the woman easily, her pack slung over her shoulder as she descends the stairs. When they reach the front door she bows to her. "Thank you for kindly inviting me to stay in your home." Before she made her way out.

Behind her Yoshino shouts out in frustration and slams the door, and Temari doesn't care what she does next. She doesn't care if Shikamaru ever follows her, she doesn't care if she ever makes it home, she just wants to get away.

The driving rain pelts her harshly for four hours as she traverses the fire country, and it takes her three days to arrive in Suna at top speed, she never once took a break.

* * *

Shikamaru arrived half a day after she had to find their home completely torn apart, and when he asked her about it she never even turned to him. She only sighed and looked away from him when he would sit down beside her, and she didn't leave the house for almost two months.

Then suddenly one day she decided that it was stupid for her to mope around, the extent of Shikamaru's curiousness had far passed, he didn't care about the damage he unknowingly caused her. He hardly returned home at night any longer, but instead decided to sleep at the office. So finally, Temari decided to get herself back together, she decided to follow through with her decision to make him fall in love with her. Set on changing her station, she began to slowly clean each part of the house, and throw away the things she had broken in her rage. It was during her cleaning that she decided that she wouldn't call him out on cheating on her, after all, she wasn't completely compassionless. She understood that he was in love with someone else, that she had torn him away from her unknowingly, but decided that it wasn't going to faze her. When she finished cleaning the house she put on one of her finer black kimonos and exited the house with full intention of bringing him home. It was late in the afternoon, and she walked into his office without knocking and without hesitation. Her brother Kankuro looked up at her as she entered, and immediately all conversation stopped.

"Leave." she said calmly to Kankuro, who scowled and crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

Before he could retort Shikamaru shifted in his chair and stood to lead him out, the brunette man with the purple tattoos on his face grumbled as he was escorted out the door. Shikamaru turned back to her expectantly, looking like he expected to be beaten and pummeled into the ground.

"Come home." She said, trying to sound as assertive as possible. She didn't want him to see how weak and powerless she really was, she wanted him to see how strong she wanted to be.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her as he made his way to his desk, and she followed him.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" She practically growled, which caused Shikamaru to stop in his tracks. "I said let's go home. Now."

To her surprise he stopped before he sat back down into his chair, and he turned towards her.

"Alright, _troublesome_."

Things went back exactly to normal between them when they finally settled down into their daily lives. She began to drop subtle hints that she was on to him, and he started to straighten himself up and try not to argue with her as much as possible. Temari felt that she was finally beginning to break through with him, and sometimes he would even return her hugs or even plant a kiss on her forehead. And although he would randomly be sent to Konoha to discuss treaty plans and meet with the council, Temari thought that maybe he was being faithful. That maybe he was starting to return her affection..

But it was only months later that Temari learned of Ino's second pregnancy.

* * *

**So like I mentioned before this isn't ShikaTema so if you have any problems..don't read it. :)!**

**For the rest of you I hope you enjoyed this at least a little. Temari isn't that bad of a girl...although I agree that she isn't meant for Shikamaru. InoxShika foreverrrr:D. Longest chapter yet? I think so, lol.**

**To clarify things the next chapter is going to be about Shihoko, who is Ino and Shikamaru's DAUGHTER, if you're confused about this information please refer back to chapter one, :)! Shihoko is also the child Ino is pregnant with at the end of this very chapter. **

**Review if you liked, don't if you didn't.**

**if you see any errors or have any questions please consult me about them. :)**

**also I've changed my mind about the plot from how i saw it work out originally...so if some of the people who I discussed this story with get confused by future chapters...then I'm sorry but that's how it goes, lol. **

**Was this any good? Please let me know.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sky rim channel on pandora is great for writing about dreams.**

**So I've decided that there's gunna be a few more chapters than I originally planned..just because this story pours out of me like a word fountain.**

**This is from Shihoko's perspective**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_The image is blurred, but directly above her there is a bright light. She laughs as she reaches up to grab it, but a shadow falls over her and all is dark. She isn't scared though, she's had this dream plenty of times and what happens next just makes her happier. _

_"I love you." _

_The voice rumbles through her body, and she giggles as she is picked up and gently wrapped into a warm embrace. She opens her eyes widely as a large grin flashes before her. She is straining for some reason, her face tight. She is trying to remember..trying to find more: A blur of darkness, the smell of grass, and then nothing...it ends just as it does each time.._

Shihoko sits up in her bed and pouts, her chubby fingers wrapping around her silky pink blanket. For a long moment she looks around her room but then gets off her bed, she walks to her window.

"Why does it stop?" She says quietly as she presses her face to the glass.

Outside birds fly around in circles, twittering softly to each other. Their songs make her smile and she repeats them as she pushes the window open. She watches the sun peek up over the buildings surrounding her home and then she turns on her heel, completely forgetting about her dream.

"Mommy!" She shouts as she runs down the small hallway, she bursts into the room without knocking and jumps onto the bed. Down the hall she can hear her brothers groaning, they're telling her to keep it down. She giggles as she softly pounces on her mother, and she gives her kisses to wake her up. "First day of school!" She shouts as she tries to disentangle her fingers from her mother's long yellow hair. "Wake up mom!" She whines as she starts to poke her mother's face, but it is five more minutes before her mommy sits up.

"Shihoko don't jump on mommy's tummy remember?" Ino says as she gives her daughter a hug, but Shihoko pulls away with a pout.

"Oh yeah," She says as she glares at her mommy's belly. "That stupid baby will get hurt." And then she stumbles off the bed to go wake up her lazy older brothers, she doesn't see her mother frown.

She busts through their door with a scowl on her little lips, and she places her hands on her sides in a pose reminiscent of her mother.

"Get up, you lazy bums!" She says as she walks towards their beds, she gives Ichiro a bop on the head when he reaches out and slaps at her. "We're gunna be late!" Isamu, Iruma, and Ichiro sit up and groan at her before wordlessly stumbling towards the rest room.

She stands between them as they all brush their teeth. Isamu is leaning against the wall with the brush hanging out of his mouth, his eyes are droopy and Shihoko pinches him harshly on the leg when he starts to snore.

"Don't fall asleep dummy head!" She shouts, and all three of them straighten up and vigorously brush their teeth. She squeezes between them to spit the foam from her mouth and then she hops to her room, where her mother has laid out her clothes for the day.

She frowns but shrugs on the pale pink dress, her white frilly socks itch her ankles, and the lace collar bothers her neck.

"Mommy I'm itchy!" She complains as she looks in the mirror. They are sitting infront of her mother's vanity in her room, and Ino is brushing her long blonde hair.

"You're fine."

Shihoko scowls and starts to brush her own hair, which is a beautiful shade of brown. She looks over at her mommy's hair and then back to her own and she bites her lip.

"Why isn't my hair yellow like yours and my bubbas?" She asks quietly, she's watching her mother in the mirror through her thick black lashes, and she sees her freeze in the middle of a brush stroke.

"Because that's how you were born."

"Why?" She asks curiously as she turns toward her, and her mother just smiles.

"Because that's how Kami made you."

Shihoko bites her lip harder and squeezes her hair brush, but she accepts that answer...for now.

* * *

She is holding her lunch kit infront of her body, trying to hide behind the small peice of tin. Her mother has her hand resting reassuringly on her shoulder, but Shihoko is scared. All of the kids in the class are staring at her, and some of them are smiling. She tries to hide behind her mother's long legs, but is gently pushed to the center of the room. When she looks back her mother is in the door way, and she is waving at her with a smile.

"Well what have we got here?" A tall man says as he approaches her, and Shihoko backs away from him trembling as he kneels infront of her. His face is scary and weird, and a long scar stretches over his nose, from cheek to cheek. He looks like a meanie.

His smile makes her feel a bit better though, and when he reaches out for her she doesn't scoot away. "Come on." He says softly.

Shihoko glances back at her mother who has closed the door, and is only visible through the small window. Ino nods to her daughter, but Shihoko turns to him with a scowl.

"My mommy told me not to talk to strangers." The whole class erupts with laughter, and Shihoko glares over at them all.

Beside her the tall man gives a small amused smile and says, "Well then, we will just have to be introduced then."

Shihoko stares at him as he stands and gives her a small bow.

"My name is Iruka Umino and I'm going to be your teacher from now on."

She bites her lip and copies his bow, "M-my names Shihoko Y-yamanaka."

This time when he reaches over to place his hand on her shoulder, she doesn't flee. She stands beside him and looks out at the whispering class, and she memorizes each of their faces.

"This is your new class mate, Shihoko," Iruka-sensei says loudly, all the children nod in response. "I expect that you will all make her feel welcome." And with that he ushers her forward to sit in one of the empty chairs near the side of the class, which is located by a large window over-looking the school yard.

She sits down quietly and nods when her teacher gives her a slip of paper. "Today class we will be reviewing our calligraphy and -" The rest of the class is a blur, everything that Iruka tells her is something she has already learned from her mother, or is something extremely simple. She sighs when they start to go over their alphabet, and drones out each syllable as she looks out the window.

* * *

They're sitting at the table after dinner, just her and mommy. Her brothers are already in bed (they're such lazy boys), and she twirls her fork around her left over vegetables.

"You're not leaving this table until you eat those carrots, Shihoko." Her mother warns. "You usually gobble those up..is there something wrong?"

Shihoko bites her lip as she accidentally flicks one of the carrots off of her plate, her mother raises an eyebrow.

"I have a question." She finally says after picking up her fallen food, she looks up at her mommy with big brown eyes.

Ino nods at her and gets up from the table, she places her plate in the sink and then returns to her chair while wiping her hands on her apron.

"Ask away." She says with a smile as she beckons for her daughter to come sit with her. Shihoko leaves her plate and climbs into her mothers lap before speaking.

"Why don't I have a daddy? Other kids at school always talk about their mommies and daddies...and they say I'm weird when I tell them I don't have one."

"Oh Shihoko," Ino breathes out, like she might have had this conversation three times before, but Shihoko only looks up at her with confused eyes. "Some people just don't have daddies..that's just the way it is."

Shihoko bites her lip and turns around to face her mom, who wraps her arms tightly around her.

"But those kids said-"

"Don't worry about those kids baby."

"Okay mommy." She sighs as she leans in and takes a big whiff of her mommy's hair.

But Shihoko does worry..because she wants to be like everyone else, she wants to have a daddy too.

* * *

It is the weekend and Shihoko sits beside her mother on the park bench, her brothers are off hiding somewhere where she can't find them. They are probably even napping so that they won't have to play with her. She huffs as she looks at the children playing on the swings, she really wants a turn but her mom won't let her go by herself.

"Mommy?" Shihoko says quietly as she pulls on her mother's sleeve, almond and teal share a short glance before her mother places her eyes back on the pages of the novel, which is resting on her leg.

"Yes Shihoko?"

Shihoko bites her lip and looks to the ground, then out to a man standing with two children, they are smiling and laughing.

"What is a bastard?"

She jumps when her mother suddenly grabs her arm and swings her around. Tears spring up in her eyes, why is mommy so angry? Her nails are hard on the little girl's arms, and she tries to pull away but they only dig deeper from her attempts. Her mother shakes her by the shoulders roughly.

"Where did you hear that word?"

Shihoko lets out a startled cry when her mother shakes her again, why is mommy so upset? What has she done to make her so mad? All she did was ask what bastard meant..

"Tell me, Shihoko!"

"When we went to the store the other day..a man said that we were bastards."

Shihoko falls to the ground as her mother releases her arms, and she stares up at her with wide eyes as she starts to cry.

"What's wrong mommy?" She asks as she sits up, she places her tiny hands on her mother's knee. "Is it something mean? Was that man being mean to us?"

"Yes baby..he was being very mean." Suddenly, her mother's eyes are dry and she is being tugged towards the empty swing set. "But don't think about that anymore, lets have fun."

Shihoko smiles and giggles as she sits into the seat, and she holds tightly onto the chains as she is pushed high into the air, but she won't forget what that mean man from the grocery store said...

At night when she is safely tucked into her bed, she lies awake thinking about the many times she has heard that word. Why do people say those mean things? She isn't a bad girl, and her brothers are good boys too. She frowns as she pulls one of her stuffed animals closer to her chest, her eyes finally shut after many more tears fall. Grown ups are so confusing...

* * *

The next day all four of the children are walking down the street. They are on their way to go see Baa-chan at the flower shop when Shihoko spots someone she knows. His spikey pony tail and slouchy shoulders are so familiar that he can't be confused for anyone else. His pictures are all over mommy's room after all, and granny Yoshino is his mommy, she has lots of pictures of him too.

"Nii-sama!" She shouts as she slips from Ichiro's grip. The boy shouts out and reaches for her, but she is already too far from reach. "Nii-sama! Nii-sama!"

Behind her, her brothers shout for her to stop, but she can't. She wants to talk to Nii-sama! She pushes her way through a crowd of people, ducking between their legs and weaving around their bags. She can see his hair over the crowd, and if only she can just make him hear her voice..

"NII-SAMA!" She shouts as hard as she can, her tiny hands cupped around her mouth. All around her people turn to look at her, some of them look really mean. They grumble and roll their eyes at her..and some of them say that mean word. Tears come to her eyes as she shoves through the people, why can't Nii-sama hear her? When she finally breaks free she can see him turning around a corner. She runs as hard as she can to catch him, and when she turns the corner he is just about to go into a really tall building. She is pretty sure her mommy once called it the hotagi's tower(or something like that), where uncle Naruto works.

"Nii-sama!" She calls out as she reaches for his pant leg, and when he turns to her she smiles. "Nii-sama why didn't you stop?"

"Shihoko.." Shikamaru says as he lets his hand drop from the door handle, he walks away from the glass doors and down the steps. "What are you doing here alone?"

"I saw you by Baa-chans!"

"You ran all this way? Where is your mom?" He asks as he reaches down to grab her hand. "Let's go see her, okay?"

Shihoko frowns at him and crosses her arms.

"Why don't you want to see me? Why do you only want to see mommy?"

The look of shock on his face slowly melts as he kneels down to her level, and his eyes soften as he reaches towards her.

"I do want to see you, Shihoko." He says quietly, and she rushes forward and hugs him.

"I want to see you too!"

She opens her eyes when she hears her name being called, and she waves at her three brothers as they run towards her.

"I found him 'Chiyo! Look 'Samu! I found Nii-Sama, 'Ruma!" She shouts as she pushes herself from his arms. She grabs his hand as he stands up and she leads him toward her brothers. They all scowl up at the man when they arrive.

"What were you thinking Shihoko?" Isamu says as he reaches to grab her, but she hides behind Shikamaru's legs. She sticks her tongue out at the triplets when they try to grab her.

Ichiro looks up at Shikamaru with a glare. "Why didn't you stop? Didn't you hear her calling for you?" He scolds as he shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Oh come on 'Chiro," Iruma drawls out, but his eyes flick sharply up at the older man. "You know he is just too busy for her."

Behind Shikamaru, Shihoko can feel him stiffen. Everyone seems to be so grumpy so to lighten up the mood she decides to play a game. She lets go of his hand and starts to run, and she can hear Nii-sama calling out for her to stop. She turns and smiles at him as she runs around the corner, and that's when she runs into someone's legs. She peeks open her eyes as she rubs her head, and her Baa-chan stands before her with her arms crossed.

"What do you think you're doing young lady?" Her grandmother says as she leans down to pick her up, Shihoko frowns and turns back towards Nii-sama. He and her brothers are walking towards them, they all look so funny scowling, but she knows they are all mad at her so she starts to cry.

"I just wanted to play with Nii-sama!" She cries and reaches for him, but he doesn't try to receive her.

"Shikamaru-San is a very busy man, Shihoko." Her grandmother scolds, but it sounds more like she is scolding Shikamaru than Shihoko.

"He doesn't want to play with you," Her brothers say in unison. "Give it a rest already."

"That's enough boys." A voice from behind them says, and everyone turns to see Ino standing there with a large grocery bag in one hand, and her other on her swollen stomach. "Get inside, all of you." She walks forward and grabs Shihiko's hand as her grandmother places her on the ground (before entering the shop with the boys).

Shihoko stands between the two adults as they stand silently, their eyes are locked and their bodies almost seem frozen before Shihoko pulls on her mommy's hand. "Mommy I want to play with Nii-sama!" She whines as she pries her hand from her mother's, she runs to Shikamaru and hugs his legs.

"Why don't you ask Shikamaru-Nii if he wants to play first."

She looks up at him with hopeful almond eyes, but from the look on his face she knows he will say no. "Will you play with me?" She asks quietly.

Shikamaru looks down at her and then gives her a smile that makes her heart flutter. "I will, but I have to go talk to someone first."

Shihoko frowns at him, but she decides that that is better than nothing. She flings her arms around his legs before skipping toward the Flowershop. "Thanks Nii-sama!" She shouts, as she walks through the door she misses her mother's disapproving glance.

* * *

It is almost dusk when they arrive at the park. Birds fly swiftly from branch to branch in search of their nests, while bats take off in their haphazard flights to gobble mosquitos. Shihoko squeals as she is pushed high into the air, her hair lifting up and blowing into her eyes. She looks back at the man pushing her before she jumps off, and when she lands she can hear him clapping for her. Not too far away Ino and her mother sit on a bench, while the boys practice some jutsus that they have learned at school.

Shihoko smiles and she runs towards Shikamaru, but instead of running into his open arms she runs past him with her tongue out. She laughs loudly as she is chased around the swing set, and she runs down the hill towards the trees to play hide and seek. She can hear him shouting behind her, but she thinks it's fun to run. Before she can make it to the woods she is plucked up from the ground and spun around, and they fall together onto the ground.

She looks up at Shikamaru with a big toothy smile, and his scowl melts from his face. She sits beside him and plucks some grass from the ground. He is breathing really hard from running, and he places a hand on his chest and sighs as she looks at him.

"Shikamaru Nii-sama?" She says in a quiet voice, her questioning tone lures his closed eyelids open, and he regards her with a charcoal eye.

"Hm?"

"Did you know that I don't have a daddy?"

His sharp intake of breath and panicked expression goes unnoticed by the little girl, she turns on her side and hands him a small dandelion that she just picked.

"Yea." He says quietly after a moment, his eyes are closed again but his eyebrows are furrowed.

"Some people call me and my bubbas.. bastards, what does that mean?"

The man beside her turns his head to her and gives her a long sigh, but he doesn't answer and that makes her pout.

"Mommy wouldn't tell me either..but...is it because I don't have a daddy? Kids at school make fun of me when I tell them I don't have one."

"They do?"

"Yea." She hums as she lays beside him, her little hand curling around his big one that is still clutching the dandelion. "But I was wondering something?"

Shikamaru lifts an eyebrow at her as she scoots closer to him, and she looks at him with as much seriousness as her five year old body can muster.

"What is it?"

"Will you be my daddy?"

Silence stretches between them for a long moment, and he pulls his hand from her grasp as he sits up. He twirls the dandelion thoughtfully between his fingers, " I can't."

"Why not?" She cries as she flings herself onto him, she grabs his shirt into her hands tightly. "Don't you love me? Is it because my brothers are mean? I'll tell them to stop! Please!"

"I'm sorry." He says as he stands up, he pulls her up to stand too. He tries to take her hand but she jerks it out of his roughly.

"Don't be sorry...be my daddy! I'll be good I promise!"

He looks down at her with sad eyes, and he gently reaches down to grab her shoulders. "I can't do that. It's too complicated for you to understand right now-"

"No! You just don't want me!" She cries as she runs away from him, she runs to her mommy and cries and cries onto her shoulder, where she eventually cries herself to sleep.

After that she doesn't see Nii-sama again for a long time..

* * *

**So this is shorter than the last one...but it's weird writing in a child perspective...tell me if its good or not...leave a review or don't :D either way I'm glad your reading the story.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next to come I think may be another Temari chapter...then an Ino and baby chapter, then the boys...and then the finale will be Shikamaru's POV.**

**btw I know that I didn't call the Hokage tower by it's real name..because Shihoko is a child and would probably misunderstand those kinds of things..so yeah. Just letting you guys know. **


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